Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-17


tian is so good! He never forgets his
father or me- he spends all the time he
can with us he never says harsh word :;
he is as steady as if he had never left his
mothers sider'
Certainly there was no sign OF devil /"
developing itself in Sebastian Fellowes
He painted on serenely, and had his pub
lie, his admirers, and his BUYERS As for
the class of critics who spoke of his pic
lures as the roast mutton and milk-pud-
ding style of art profane description
which stuck, he ignored them with gener-
Gus disregard. He could afford to be
abused the art journals of the day repro
duced his lovely bits of domestic art" in
steel engravings of exquisite softness, and
many a fair hand turned. the page tend
erly. Every year he conscientiously pro-
duced what he called serious" work.
taking his subject from the Bible, from
Milton, Spenser, or his mothers favorite,
" Pilgrims Progress" These did not sell
60 well as the babies, but he enjoyed paint
ing them, and felt that he was fulfilling his
destiny and raising contemporary art. So
the years slipped prosperously and calmly
on till he was thirty, and then two great
events came to Sebastian. One day as he
took an omnibus TO the city to see the pic
ture-dealer, he found opposite TO him a
face that was an ideal to him. He was
painting picture in which there was, to
be an Angela conventional angel, with
large white wings and curling hair-and
he had not hit as yet upon the countenance
which he desired to depict But this
young girl simply, even shabbily, but
neatly dressed in black, with the innocent,
pwistful eyes of child and the milk tints
of exquisite fairness, was his typical
angel He looked at her, not rudely,
but with thoughtful and rather
tender interests. but only met her
blue eyes once, when she blushed and with
drew them. The blush made her perfect !;
completed his inward idea of sweetness,
modesty softness of character; and he told
himself that he would see more of her As
usual Sebastians lucky star was in the as
cendant he saw her put her hand in her
pocket for the littlepurse, which he could
fancy was thin enough; quick, pink
color-the blush Of surprise and dismay,
not of gentle confusion this time-tooded
the pearly whiteness of her face. She
withdrew her hand at last, and looked
across at Sebastian-they were alone in the
omnibus-with an expression Of despair
"Can | help you? Have you lost any
thing" he asked her softly. Girls always
instinctively trusted the handsome, stately
man, with the kind, friendly, brown eyes.
"Pve been robbed" she said with little
culver in her voice, which was not at all
a vulgar one, though the tone had a trace
OF the cockney. " | had not much, but it
is very AWKWARD have nothing to pay the
| man."
Don't trosble at all about it; shall
be only too glad to help you out of that
little difficulty he said in his gentlcst,
most persuasive voice, instantly producing
and passing shilling to the conductor
| with the word "two."
Thank you so much,' she said, blush
ing again. Il will send you the sixpcnce
if you'll tell me where"
No; pray, pray, do not take the
| trouble Do not think of it."
Il had rather" she said quietly, and a
second thought striking him, he gave her
, his card at once. 1t occurred TO him that
he should like her to know where he lived.
When she asked him to stop the omni-
bus, he got out with her, and pretending
| lIisit llC DtSlItsS III uti uilCtllOli,
| asked very humbly if he might walk with
her She could not help trusting him
she could not help liking him. They got
into talk as if they had been properly >
introduced. She was only respectable
little working girl, who did fine work for 4
baby-linen warehouse, and supported an
invalid, bed-ridden mother, with infinite
| difficulty and accomplishing hard word
and he was pure-hearted, chivalrous man,
| who would rather have suffered torture
than betray maiden's trust. They knew
| each other somehow to be simple and good.
He walked through the sordid streets with
little Mary North TO her lodgings, and
then asked her respectfully and in mat
ter-of-fact way if he might come in and see
her mother. He went in, for she ouly
hesltated Il moment; was very kind and
polite TO the poor, half-alive creature, who
had seen better days, as she kept repeat
ing, and before they parted he had so con-
WINGED them of his good faith and absolute
responsibility, that the shy, modest girl
had consented to let him paint her for his
angel. When she was introduced to his
large studio, chiefly adorned with his own
pictures in different stages, she clasped hel
hands in delighted surprise, with an ex
clamation that made him smile with pleas
ure:
"Oh, sir, how lovely! | had no ide;
| YOU were Il great painter
| Sebastian found it necessary to have
| very numerous sittings, and it so happened
that his mother-who had come unexpect
eddy TO town to consult a great physician
for her husband who was out of health
surprised very pretty tableau. The fair
| headed, milky-complexioned model sat OF
the dais, with dropping head and very pinl
checks, her long, white, angelic draper,
trailing round her, and knceling by her
with both her hands clasped in his anC
rapturouslv held to his breast, was Mrs
| Fellowes' immaculate Sebastian
| A dreadful vision of virtue overthrown
of the temptations of Babylon, and fair
haired, deceitful Delilahs passed through
the mothers brain, and made her utter
kind of scream; but Sebastian was not {,
all perturbed, though his poor angel fcl
ready to sink through the floor in innoeen
| shame. He jumped up cheerfully and en-
braced his mother, with a surprised inquir,
| d. W nON sIic SOb tltIt. fDHes tOlu Hlfn
few incoherent sentences how his fathe
xas i'll, and had come up to see the grea
physician, and how she had left him t
rest after his journey, thinking to surpris
her dear Sebastian; but now, really, VIII
is this-this young person?
This young lady, mother" Sebastian
answered, with some emphasis, Ks goin
to be my wife. Come here Mary. hop
you and my dear, good mother will low
each other"
1t was very difficult and awkward 70
poor Mary to move in her flowing gar
ments, and she felt altogether shy AM
miserable; but Mrs. Fellows was far to
soft and sentimental a soul not to melt a
the situation, and a very few words NOR
made her weep over the girl, whom sh
folded in n large embrace and kissed, Will
the long spaniel-like curls tickling he
face, so that it was all Mary could do t
stand it.
"And, mother, | have more good new
for vou," Sebastian said presently, whel
the situation had become less acute "Il
lspite Of the set some of the Academiean
have made against me, they have made III
IA r. A. of me-
| "A r. A. at thirty, Sebastian Fellowe